Remodeling an Airstream is one of the most sustainable things one can do.
I?m an architect. I know, it?s ironic, but I don?t prefer designing a brand new home.
Like you (I hope!) it?s our job to take care of the earth by our own behavior.
The most unsustainable thing one can do to the earth is to design and build a new home where there wasn?t one before. Worse still, is tearing down an old home and building a new one in its place.
A new home takes an enormous amount of energy and natural resources build.
Using the empty shell ? the floor, walls and roof ? in an existing building requires significantly less energy than new construction. By eliminating the need for building a foundation, erecting walls, installing windows, and placing on a new roof thousands of dollars of resources that would have been required to build these elements can be transferred, or saved all together. The end result is a win-win. Sustainable and more cost effective.

Take a look around downtown. Many urban city centers have reused old manufacturing plants or storage facilities, that were made of brick or concrete, and have remodeled them into successful residential dwellings. Today, there isn?t a city in America without ?urban loft-style? projects.
My 1978 Airstream project was, at its heart, an exercise in reusing an existing space. 

 

Remember the 3 R?s when choosing products and materials (reuse, reclaim, recycle)
Once an existing space is chosen, there are often times many existing elements ...